GoKawiilHuman challenge trial shows how prior dengue immunity can backfire
Researchers deliberately infected 45 volunteers with a weakened dengue strain to study why second infections with a different strain often turn severe, publishing their findings in Science Translational Medicine. The study, co-authored by NIAID epidemiologist Leah Katzelnick, points to antibodies formed against an earlier dengue strain reacting poorly to a new one, a pattern that has also complicated vaccine rollouts, including one in the Philippines in 2016.
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Understanding this immune mechanism could help scientists design dengue vaccines that avoid triggering the very severe secondary infections they aim to prevent, according to the researchers. With dengue infecting up to 400 million people a year and outbreaks worsening in places like Bangladesh and Kenya, improved vaccine safety could have broad public health implications.
- A human challenge trial infected 45 volunteers with a mild dengue strain to study immune responses.
- Secondary dengue infections with different strains often cause more severe disease, likely due to ineffective antibody responses.
- Findings could inform safer vaccine design after past vaccination efforts, like in the Philippines, led to severe secondary infections.
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See Thermacell Mosquito Repellent Device on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: nature.com — Kreier, 2026-10-28
Published there as: “Dengue comes back even in vaccinated people — new clues”
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